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The Line

Short answer: The Line was announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in January 2021 as the centerpiece of NEOM in Saudi Arabia's Tabuk Province. It was pitched as two mirrored skyscrapers 500 m tall and 200 m apart, running 170 km from the Red Sea coast into the mountains.

The plan promised 9 million residents, no cars or streets, and an underground train covering the full length in 20 minutes. Reality fell far short. Costs ballooned, and the first phase was cut to about 2.4 km. Construction was suspended in September 2025 with only foundation work done, and in May 2026 Semafor reported the project was on hold until after 2030.

VideoWrite-up7 sources

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What should you know about The Line?

Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.

  1. Saudi Arabia's The Line was pitched as a 170-km, 500-m-tall mirrored city for 9 million people, but it was suspended in 2025 after only about 2.4 km of foundations.

    DD-031-F01 · Write-up · Exhibit B (Two mirrored walls)

  2. In The Line's design, two residents would on average be 57 km apart. In a circular city of the same area they'd be just 2.9 km apart.

    DD-031-F02 · Write-up · Exhibit G (Why a line?)

Video transcript: The Line: Saudi Arabia's Planned 170-km City Stopped After 2.4 km of Foundations

DID YOU KNOW? Saudi Arabia's The Line is a proposed futuristic city within NEOM, in the Tabuk region. It is designed as a 170-km-long, ultra-narrow urban corridor enclosed by mirrored walls, and built to house up to 9 million people. The concept eliminates cars and roads, relying instead on high-speed underground transit that could move residents from one end to the other in about 20 minutes. NOW YOU KNOW!

Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 20.7s Reel ·

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The Line: Saudi Arabia's Planned 170-km City Stopped After 2.4 km of Foundations Instagram Reel · · 20.7s

The write-up

Saudi Arabia's planned 170-km city stopped after 2.4 km of foundations. The Line, NEOM: pitched for 9 million people, suspended in 2025.

  1. Exhibit A

    The pitch

    Announced on January 10, 2021, The Line was to be one of NEOM's regions in Tabuk Province: a linear city with no cars, no streets and no carbon emissions.

  2. Exhibit B

    Two mirrored walls

    The 2022 design put a 200-meter-wide strip of urban 'modules' between two mirrored facades 500 meters tall and 170 km long. They would have run from the Gulf of Aqaba into the Hejaz mountains.

  3. Exhibit C

    Nine million people

    The plan called for up to 9 million residents. That works out to roughly 260,000 people per square kilometer, about six times the density of Manila.

  4. Exhibit D

    A 20-minute train

    Early plans described an underground 'spine' railway with 510 km/h trains running end to end in 20 minutes. In March 2026, NEOM canceled a roughly $1 billion tunneling contract tied to that rail.

  5. Exhibit E

    Costs and shrinking scope

    Reported cost estimates climbed from hundreds of billions into the trillions. A leaked 2023 draft board presentation put full completion at $8.8 trillion by 2080. The first phase was cut to about 2.4 km.

  6. Exhibit F

    Stopped in the sand

    Construction was suspended in September 2025 with roughly 2.4 km of foundation work done. In May 2026 Semafor reported the project was on hold until after 2030, and NEOM's own page now describes a 'phased, demand-led approach'.

  7. Exhibit G

    Why a line?

    A 2023 study argued that a circular city of the same area would put far more people within walking distance. In a line, the average distance between two residents is 57 km; in a circle of the same area it's 2.9 km.

Questions people ask about The Line

How long was The Line planned to be?

It was planned as 170 km from the Red Sea coast into the mountains.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Two mirrored walls) · Saudi Arabia prioritizes sports for NEOM plans as costs balloon, sources say (Reuters, Nov. 2024); The Line, Saudi Arabia (Wikipedia); Saudi Arabia's Giga Projects Are Entering Their Reality Check (WIRED Middle East)

How many residents was The Line originally pitched to house?

The 2021–22 plan called for up to 9 million people.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Nine million people) · The Line, Saudi Arabia (Wikipedia); Saudi Arabia's Giga Projects Are Entering Their Reality Check (WIRED Middle East)

How tall were The Line's mirrored walls meant to be?

Two 500-m-tall mirrored facades would enclose a 200-m-wide city.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Two mirrored walls) · Saudi Arabia prioritizes sports for NEOM plans as costs balloon, sources say (Reuters, Nov. 2024); The Line, Saudi Arabia (Wikipedia); Saudi Arabia's Giga Projects Are Entering Their Reality Check (WIRED Middle East)

Roughly how much of The Line had foundation work when construction was suspended in 2025?

Construction stopped in September 2025 after about 2.4 km of foundation work.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit F (Stopped in the sand) · NEOM Latest Update: Key Developments So Far (MEP Middle East, Mar. 2026); NEOM pauses The Line until after 2030, prioritises Oxagon (BrentDesk, citing Semafor, May 2026); THE LINE: A New Urban Future (NEOM official page); The Line, Saudi Arabia (Wikipedia)

What did a 2023 study say would beat a linear city of the same area?

A circular city would cut the average distance between residents from 57 km to 2.9 km.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit G (Why a line?) · Arguments for building The Circle and not The Line in Saudi Arabia (npj Urban Sustainability, 2023); The Line, Saudi Arabia (Wikipedia)

Test Your Knowledge

All quizzes →

5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.

  1. How long was The Line planned to be?

    1. 17 km
    2. 70 km
    3. 170 km
    4. 1,700 km
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. 170 km It was planned as 170 km from the Red Sea coast into the mountains. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Two mirrored walls) · Saudi Arabia prioritizes sports for NEOM plans as costs balloon, sources say (Reuters, Nov. 2024); The Line, Saudi Arabia (Wikipedia); Saudi Arabia's Giga Projects Are Entering Their Reality Check (WIRED Middle East)

  2. How many residents was The Line originally pitched to house?

    1. 90,000
    2. 900,000
    3. 9 million
    4. 90 million
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. 9 million The 2021–22 plan called for up to 9 million people. Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Nine million people) · The Line, Saudi Arabia (Wikipedia); Saudi Arabia's Giga Projects Are Entering Their Reality Check (WIRED Middle East)

  3. How tall were The Line's mirrored walls meant to be?

    1. 50 m
    2. 200 m
    3. 500 m
    4. 1,000 m
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. 500 m Two 500-m-tall mirrored facades would enclose a 200-m-wide city. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Two mirrored walls) · Saudi Arabia prioritizes sports for NEOM plans as costs balloon, sources say (Reuters, Nov. 2024); The Line, Saudi Arabia (Wikipedia); Saudi Arabia's Giga Projects Are Entering Their Reality Check (WIRED Middle East)

  4. Roughly how much of The Line had foundation work when construction was suspended in 2025?

    1. About 2.4 km
    2. About 40 km
    3. About 100 km
    4. All 170 km
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. About 2.4 km Construction stopped in September 2025 after about 2.4 km of foundation work. Source: Write-up · Exhibit F (Stopped in the sand) · NEOM Latest Update: Key Developments So Far (MEP Middle East, Mar. 2026); NEOM pauses The Line until after 2030, prioritises Oxagon (BrentDesk, citing Semafor, May 2026); THE LINE: A New Urban Future (NEOM official page); The Line, Saudi Arabia (Wikipedia)

  5. What did a 2023 study say would beat a linear city of the same area?

    1. A spiral
    2. A circle
    3. A grid of towers
    4. A floating city
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. A circle A circular city would cut the average distance between residents from 57 km to 2.9 km. Source: Write-up · Exhibit G (Why a line?) · Arguments for building The Circle and not The Line in Saudi Arabia (npj Urban Sustainability, 2023); The Line, Saudi Arabia (Wikipedia)

Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "The Line." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-031, last updated Apr 1, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-line/

Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-line/ · Last updated

Markdown version

Cite a single fact by its ID, for example DD-031-F01 → https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-line/#DD-031-F01

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